Mildred Louise Cohrs was born on April 30, 1917 in
Plattsmouth, NE to James and Louisa Muenchau Smith. She grew up
on the family farm and attended schools in Plattsmouth, Alvo and
Eagle, NE and Slayton, MN.

In 1925, the family moved to a farm in Pipestone County, MN.

Before marriage, Mildred worked as a housekeeper in
Minneapolis and then in Pipestone. Later she worked at the
Slayton Hotel.

On February 6, 1943 she and Walter Cohrs were married at
Westbrook, MN. Their first year of marriage was spent in Granby,
MO and then Mildred lived in Slayton until Walter returned from
his service in WWII.

They began farming in Dovray Township and raised their four
children. Mildred worked at Westbrook Poultry and Egg Plant for
30 years. They farmed until Walter's death on August 26, 1984.
Mildred moved into Dovray in 1989. Due to failing health, she
entered the Good Samaritan Center on March 16, 2004 and passed
away there on June 11, 2004 at the Westbrook Good Samaritan
Center at the age of 87.

She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Westbrook and was
active in Ladies Aid. She belonged to the Dovray American Legion
Auxiliary, sewing club and card club. Mildred enjoyed all types
of sports including, Twins baseball, golf, rodeo, and car racing.
Other favorite pasttimes were cooking, baking, fishing, knitting,
crocheting and spending time with her family and friends.

Survivors include her two sons, one daughter and their
spouses: Edward and Roxanna Cohrs of Sanborn, MN, Rosann Schmidt
of Tracy, MN and Paul Cohrs and his fiancee, Kim Pound of Dovray,
MN; seven grandchildren: Darren and Scott Peschges, Barry Cohrs,
Dawn Davis, Danielle Taylor, and Bridgette Vogel, Gabrielle Cohrs
and Laura Schmidt; three sisters: Lois Knutson of Slayton, MN,
Eleanore Bunker of Currie, MN and Beverly Saling of Bay Point,
OK; and a sister-in-law, Ida Smith of Eaton, CO.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Walter, daughter,
Linda Peschges, sons-in-law, Ron Schmidt and Toby Peschges, and
brothers, Chester, Hilliard, Everett and Harvey Smith.

Erma Burgess, 101

A graveside memorial service will be Sunday, June 20, 2004, at
the Tracy City Cemetery at 3 p.m. for Erma Burgess.

Erma J. Burgess was born December 21, 101 to George E. and
Jeanette (Strom) Burgess at Peaceful Valley Ranch, Medora, ND.
She attended school in Medora, ND, Irving Public School and
Central High School in St. Paul, before finishing her last two
years of high school at Pillsbury Academy in Owatonna, MN. Her
education continued at Carleton College in Northfield for two
years and then she attended Hillcrest Surgical Hospital and
received a Registered Nursing degree in 1924. She was a
practicing nurse in Minnesota, California and Montana. In 1936
Erma received her Bachelors Degree in Public Health Nursing from
the University of Minnesota. She was a School Nurse in Anoka and
Rochester, MN.

In 1941 Erma accepted a position as Resident Nurse at
Kamehameha School for Boys in Honolulu, Hawaii. ON December 7,
when Pearl Harbor was attacked, the school was used as an
infirmary, where she assisted in the care of wounded Servicemen.

Burgess returned to Minnesota in 1951 and worked at the
Sanitarium in Cannon Falls and Benton County as a Public Health
Nurse.

From 1960 to 1970, she worked for the United States Public
Health Service, serving Native Americans in New Mexico, North
Dakota and Nebraska.

Following retirement in 1970, Erma made her home in Tracy and
Minneapolis until July 15, 1996 at which time she became a
resident of Tracy Nursing Home. She died on November 11, 2003 at
the age of 101.

Erma is survived by niece, Jean Heller and Helen Johnson of
St. Paul, MN, Ruth Anne Doud of Mercer, WI and nephews Dr. Donald
B. Hicks and David Hicks of Tracy, MN and Timothy Donovan of
Fairfax, VA.

She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant sister,
Rachel, an infant brother Theodore and sisters, Ethel B. Hicks of
Tracy and Helen B. Donovan of Fairfax, VA.